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Keeping up with you deli and cheesecake desire, I would say go to Carnegie Deli on 55th and Seventh Avenue. You can have really good sandwiches and really good cheesecake - all in one place. Then, if you feel the need to go to brooklyn - give Junior's cheesecake a try. But I really love Carnegie Deli. Have a great time in NY.

my mini chinatown food tour - recommend it to my visitors who want to have a taste of a lot for a little in under and hour...

copied from part of a yelp review:

Here's my circa 75-minute (including the ride on the B or D from 40th and 6th) lunch break tour of Chinatown - best with a partner so you can share everything and get the most flavor and diversity for your money.

-Get out at Grand St and head SE to Prosperity Dumpling on Eldridge. Order 10-15 fried. Eat in or eat while you walk....

-Down to Canal, where you'll head east until you hit Elizabeth. Once southbound on Elizabeth, you'll eventually run into ViVi Bubble Tea on Bayard. Grab an order of light, crispy popcorn chicken for $3 with your choice of spice - I prefer curry.
- take a left out of ViVi and then a right on Mott. Close this perfect circle of a tour by picking up the #1 (say yes to spicy!) at Banh Mi Saigon (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) on the east side of Mott just before Grand.

20 fried at prosperity = $4
popcorn chicken at ViVi = $3
Banh Mi at Saigon = $3.75

Total cost for a 3 course meal for 2: $10.75

Splurge on one meal while you are there... Babbo or Per Se. Have fun!! It sounds like a fabulous trip. :-)

Oh, and you HAVE to get a black and white cookie (from Glaser's Bake Shop- I think they have the best in town) while you're there.

i find everyone at the communal tables at momofuku ssam to be really friendly- it would probably be a great place to dine solo, and you can get some more recommendations there.

how about breakfast at prune or clinton st. baking company? or veselka? some personal favorites :)

what a great trip - have a wonderful time!

i agree with eatingraoul. motorino or co. are far better options than lombardi's.

here are some more suggestions for place i like that i've done or think are comfortable to do solo...sounds like a great weekend to me!

sat dinner
- agree with recommendation for pearl oyster bar. if you go when it opens, hopefully you can be seated with minimal wait and it's less crowded.
- if you like sushi, shimizu is great and a great value.

sun lunch
- i think gazala place has better falafel than mamoun's.
- if you like thai, pam's real thai.

i like the idea of minetta tavern. a bit of cool ny. although i like blue smoke, i don't think it's very "ny." you can get better bbq and better bbq atmosphere in other cities.

dim sum in ny is not that great. maybe better than ohio, but i wouldn't go out of my way for it here. maybe check out some of the (non-momofuku) great ramen options, eg ippudo.

i don't eat hot dogs myself, but would skip gray's and go with crif dogs or google some of the other funky hot dog options. (actually, there's a great option at the bk flea, discussed below.)

if you don't mind traveling (work up an appetite b/w meals):
- wherever in harlem the gentleman behind charles southern kitchen if frying up chicken.
- great stuff in brooklyn, including franny's for pizza and wine, buttermilk channel. i haven't been but if i were on your trip i would scope: vanderbilt, any number of the great places in williamsburg.
- go to the brooklyn flea (sat in ft greene, sun in dumbo) and nosh from all the great food vendors, including mexican, "asia dog" for funky hot dogs, bakeries, great cheese, etc., while enjoying the people/vibe. if the weather's decent and you do sunday, you can walk across the brooklyn bridge. if you come to ft greene, let me know if you need a guide!

snacks, late night, etc
- stroll through chelsea market where you can snack on/from amy bread, fat witch brownies, the lobster place, some good gelato, jacque torres.
- otafuku
- blue ribbon bakery

@Frosty--dimsum is possible alone, but tough, since everythign comes in three or four pieces, you will be really limited in the number of dishes you can try, unless you make peace with leaving things behind for the sake of variety. I've got no specific recommendations for you, but if it's your first dim sum experience, don't feel pressured. If it's cart service, take your time and don't feel compelled to try everything that looks good the first time it comes around. If it's menu service (especially if it's your first time)--try and find a place with a detailed menu.

do momofuko noodle bar for sat dinner (katzs for lunch is better then you can walk it off...). its a bar situation perfect for dining alone and very yummy.

At the Brownstone in NJ, I highly recommend a pancake wrap...it's a big pancake stuffed with eggs and cheese and stuff..mmmmmm

Also, I 2nd Mamouns...I would go there for Sat lunch since it's not too heavy and you can save room for Katz's. Gray's Papaya is an EXCELLENT suggestion.

For Sunday dinner, this is a bit of an unorthodox suggestion, but I would really recommend Indochine. They have a great pre-theater dinner special that's $28 for 3 courses. The food there always delivers, and it's a lovely place

Lastly, if you like sushi, you should really go to Yama near Irving Place...the spicy tuna roll there is exactly what a spicy tuna roll should taste like, and the fish is super fresh.

Anyway, it seems like you have an amazing line up planned...I wish I was going to all of those places!

wow my typing skills are impressively bad. sorry.

Isn't Shake Shack closed for the season?

Anyway, how about a falafel at Mamoun's? They are legendary and wonderful. And YES, Gray's Papaya for sure!

We bought a flat (20) last week from a local organic market and had the same thing happen. All 20 eggs were double yolked. It was the weirdest thing.

great review! finally got to try the burger out last week and i thought it was definitely one of the top five burgers i've eaten.

if you haven't yet, you must try the sweet potato fries! i'm usually not even a fan of sweet potato fries, but the golden state's are thick cut and really delicious. love this place.